What are some nursing managements for patients with gastroenteritis?

No real nursing managements, as nurses can rarely make a decision without a doctor's approval. They can "suggest" things though. Things such as a bland diet. They can get dietary personnel involved to avoid certain foods that make persons w/ the condition worsen. Also have the patient record their food and drink intake and record the result, whether it caused pain or not. Several medication options as well, such as Prednisone for the inflammatory phase of reaction as well as GI medications (Nexium, Prilosec, etc.) At times, if the condition is causing the patient to vomit or have diarrhea to a point of dehydration, IV therapy will be instituted. Antibiotics may as well be prescribed, as this might be a cause of the inflammation.

Phillippa, some medical degree. Did that medical degree teach you to write prescriptions as a nurse? Ooops, no it didn't! You can only do what a doctor tells you! So piss off you uneducated twunt.

Sorry Josh, I don't quite agree. Yes nurses follow doctors orders but in fact the practical delivery of doctors prescriptions is often by nursing staff. There are wider issues here in which nurse care IS vital too:

Medical concerns:

Hydration. Patients are often dehydrated depending on the severity of the gastroenteritis. If they can still eat and drink then diarylite is an ideal rehydrating solution but generally they need something with a bit of glucose and salt (Cotransport of glucose increases gastrointestinal salt absorption, important since the fluid lost is often salt rich).

Infection. Commonly viral (travellers diarrhoea, norwalk virus ect) so no sepcific treatment will expedite recovery and support of hydration remains the prime concern. However, with true dysentery (mucous or blood in the stool) a stool culture is required to look for bacterial causes (to which antibiotic therapy has a role in expediting recover, often something like a quinolone). Also, if the symptoms follow recent antibiotics for something else then Clostridium difficile needs to be ruled out by a stool sample for C. diff toxin (which is treated by metronidazole or oral vancomycin if resistant).

Other causes of altered bowel habit need to be considered so yes all of this needs a doctors review really.

Nursing considerations:

Barrier nursing is vital to prevent spread of infection. The patient should be nursed in isolation, all contact with the patient should require gowns and aprons and hands should be washed before and after contact with the patient.

Is that any help?

you need a doctors approval before you suggest things sorry.